SunRRA Top Ten Discussion Forums

SunRRA’s website has been in operation for more than one year and now averages almost 200 visits every day. One of the website features that visitors gravitate to is SunRRA’s Discussion Forum. The forum assists in binding the Sunshine community together and provides it with an online presence that never existed prior to the introduction of the website. It enables people to discuss any issue that concerns them and it’s an excellent source of information.

Over the last year there have been some hotly debated topics, controversial topics, and humorous topics on the forum. Some topics have had an almost instantaneous death, with a single post and no responses, while others have captured the emotion and imagination of visitors, and have resulted in weeks of discussion, and generated more than 50 responses from visitors.

Which topics have generated the most interest? I’ve compiled a Top 10 of the Most Popular Discussion Topics, based on the most viewed topics (ie. the ones that have been read by the most people). These also tend to be the ones that have generated the most replies from visitors.

Top Ten Discussion Forum Topics:

10. The topic And they’re off was posted on 26 January 2006 and has now generated more than 870 views to date and more than 40 replies.

The topic relates to the first Council meeting for 2006 with the introduction of a number of new Councillors following the November 2005 election. Miles Dymott, the new Greens Councillor, asked the CEO a question about a number of contracts that she rushed through during the Christmas period. Some of these contracts were for massive amounts, yet the new Councillors did not have an opportunity to scrutinise them. The topic then diverts to the political dilemma in Sunshine, including some discussion about Bill Shorten (who won pre-selection for the Federal seat of Maribyrnong). Is all what it appears to be with the ALP’s new saviour?

9. The topic Another Brimbank Engineering stuff up was first posted on17 October 2005 and has now generated more than 1090 views and more than 40 replies.

Read about the comedy of errors and sad incompetence of Brimbank’s Engineering Department. You can also read about the Council’s so called “war on graffiti”, led by Leigh Harrison, affectionately known as “the Sergeant”. If it wasn’t all true you could just laugh at the antics. But because this Department is a major factor in the deterioration of our community’s assets, the laughing might be followed by an uncontrollable urge to cry and scream with grief; the sheer incompetence of it!

8. The topic What’s the Rally Cry was posted on 13 February 2006 and has now generated 1000 views and more than 55 replies.

This topic began by promoting the pool rally on 26 February 2006. There are photos of the Rally attended by more than 500 people, and the lyrics to Bob Valentine’s version of “Twistin by the (Sunshine) Pool, which got the crowd rocking. There’s also a link that allows you to listen to Bob’s song. There were numerous speakers on the day, including several union representatives, and Les Twentyman prior to his wedding later that day.

7. The topic BrimbankCastle was posted on 30 July 05 and has generated more than 1140 views and more than 40 replies.

Brimbank Castle is an apt analogy for the Brimbank City Council. It reflects SunRRA’s experiences with this Council. They hide themselves behind the walls of the castle and seem oblivious to the concerns of the community. This topic seems to have struck a chord with the community.

6. The topic Conflict of Interest was posted on 17 May 2005 and has generated more than 1530 views and more than 43 replies.

This topic commences with commentary on a Star newspaper article which indicated that the Mayor voted to move the Albion Soccer Club to Cairnlea Park. The story indicated that the Mayor’s father and brother were associated with this soccer club. The move includes a commitment by Council to contribute more than $600,000 to new facilities at Cairnlea Park. The Cairnlea community weren’t consulted and don’t want the soccer club moved there. Does something seem fishy here? The Shadow Minister for Local Government (John Vogels) certainly thought so and spoke about it in Parliament.

5. The topic MelbourneAirport Issues was posted on 13 October 2005 and has since generated more than 1680 views and 48 replies.

Read about residents’ struggle to get a decent night’s sleep, as planes cut corners and make life hell for the light sleepers in our community.

4. The topic Sunshine Pool/Aquatic Strategy was posted 14 April 2005 and has generated more than 1740 views and more than 35 replies.

Read about the long awaited aquatic strategy and Council’s failure to take into account the true needs and desire of this community. Also read about the VCAT hearing.

3. The topic Baton Charge was posted on 6 December 2005 and has generated more than 2050 views and 69 replies.

This topic is engrossing reading. There is a great photo of Council officers and the CEO with the Commonwealth games torch – their hypocrisy is palpable. Many of Brimbank’s recreation facilities are in a shocking state of disrepair and the Council has resisted this Community’s desire for a proper redevelopment of the Sunshine Pool complex. Yet they are quite happy to lap up the opportunity of being associated with elite sport. The irony is, it would truly be a miracle if an elite athlete could emerge from the squalor of the facilities in Brimbank, and Sunshine in particular, which they have managed so abysmally.

2. The topic The Pool Again was posted in December 2005 and has generated more than 2490 views and more than 30 replies.

Frustration with the pool situation spilled over into this forum topic as temperatures soared past 40 degrees. Fortunately, given the work of John Hedditch and Darlene Reilly, and Daniel Gaylor’s letter to the Age, the Age picked up on the abysmal situation with the pool and made it a front page article on 4 January 2006. Read all about these developments in this topic.

1. Coming in at numero uno, is the topic Election Roundup posted on 26 November 2005 generating more than 3050 views and more than 100 replies.

This topic has it all. The frustration of a community after an election, contemplating a new Council dominated by the same old Labor faction that has a disgraceful track record – a record that shows they care far more about maintaining power than they do about doing anything to improve this community. The anger, the sense of betrayal, the lost hope, the ranting, the accusations and counter accusations, a community divided, and united in its hope for the only newly elected Councillor that is clearly not associated with this faction. It reads like a Shakespearean tragedy!

Consolation Prize: Just missing out on the Top 10 is the topic 3 Towers 15 Stories whichwas posted on 4 March 2006 and has now generated more than 800 views and more than 40 replies.

It is also worth a read. The Council has received an application for the development of highrise towers in the centre of Sunshine. Is this for Housing Commission? With this Council’s track record, should we be afraid? Be very afraid!

Tell us what your favourite topic is and why? Join the discussion forum.

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